CHAPTER - 1
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF RAJASTHAN
Rajasthan is geographically devided into two parts-
Rajasthan Plain and Udaipur Region. The Rajasthan plain
includes the eastern portion of the Thar and the adjoining
steppe land (Bagar) to the west of Aravallis. This area is
also known as "sanded over peneplain".^ The Udaipur
region comprises mostly the eastern part of Rajasthan: the
central Highland of India with the Aravallis.
The southern mountain^ of ihQAin-i-Akbari and Peter
Mundy's ArbudachaP (corrupt form of the Aravalli) are
the description of the Aravalli Hills.
1. Singh, R.L. (Ed.), India A Regional Geography,
Varanasi, 1987, p.50.
2. Aini-Akbari, I, p-505.
3. Peter Mundy, Travels of Peter Moundy in Europe and
Asia, Vol. n, London, 1914, pp. 257-87.
During the Talchir age, the western Rajasthan
(including Jodhpur and Bikaner) was covered by sea."*
"This sea", according to R.L. Singh "would have extended
through and to some distance north of the Rann of Kutch
into the Indus, the Saraswati and the Luni valleys and some
parts of Rajasthan".^
At the time of first uragenic movement, the Archaean
sediments were uplifted and gave birth to the Aravallis
which since then have dominated the regional landscape.^
According to D.N. Wadia, "Evidence exists that this
mountain chain received renewed upheavals during the
early palaeozoic and was of war greater proportions in past
times, and that it stretched from the Deccan to perhaps
4. Krishnan, M.S., "Geological History of Rajasthan and
Its Relation to Present Day Condition" The
Proceedings Symp. Rajputana Desert, (Bull. 1, Nat.
Inst. Sci. India, 1952) pp. 19-31.
5. Singh, R.L., 0/7.C//. p.51
6. Ibid, p.5\9
7. Wadia, D.N., Geology of India (Londin, 1961), pp. 99-
100 also see Singh, R.L., [Link]. p.519.
beyond the limits of the Himalayas."'^
The Aravallis and the Vindhyans, separated by the
"Great Boundary Fault"^, regions experienced the main
formations outcropping through the major geological
events.
The Aravalli system is largely composed of
argillaceous deposits, metamorphosed from shales through
states and phyllites to mica schists with outcropping around
Alwar, Udaipur, Ajmer etc. While the Raialo series consists
of the metamorphosed limestones, gneisses, phyllites and
schists with quartzitie intercalations occurring in Makrana,
Nagaur, Nathdwara, Rajnagar etc.^
The lower Vindhyans are well exposed in Karauli
tableland and extended through Sawaimadopur to Bundi &
Kota. "The junction of the upper Vindhyans with the older
7. Wadia,D.]<l., Geology of India {Londin, 1961), pp. 99-
100 also see Singh, R.L., [Link]. p.519.
8. Singh, R.L., [Link]. p.579.
9. Ibid,
rocks of the Aravallis", as marked by D.N. Wadia, "at their
north-west extremity reveals an extremely long fault of
great throw, which has brought the undisturbed, almost
horizontal strata of the Vindhyan sandstone in contact with
the highly folded and foliated schists of the Aravallis. This
great fault which has a throw of 1,500 m is roughly parallel
with the course of the Chambal and can be traced from the
western limits of this outcrop as far north as Agra, a
distance of 800 km. It is possible that this junction is not
of the nature of the ordinary fracture or dislocation, but
marks the approximate limit of deposition of the younger
Vindhyan sandstone against the foot of the Aravallis which
was modified subsequently by faulting and thrusting. The
faults, therefore, is of the nature of the Boundary Fault
which recalls the much better area of the junction of the
younger with the older Tertiaries of the Himalayas."'^
Relief and Drainage:
The Rajasthan plains slopes from east to west and
north to south and has a general elevation of about 150 m
10. Wadia, D.N., [Link]. pp, 132-33,
to 300 m with many scattered hillocks marking the western
edge of the Bagar. Western half is generally covered with
sand dunes and small hillocks coming out of them. The
important river of the plain is the Luni starts from south-
west of Ajmer and towards south-west and has several
affluents, the Sukri and Jawai, coming from the Aravallis
and reaches the Runn of Kutch during the rainy season.
The Udaipur region has a varied topography which is
the result of its geological history. The denudational
chronology of the regional landscape from pre-Cambrian
to sub-recent period, peneplanation, warping, intrusion and
defermation, have produced many relict features which are
presented by the outliers of the Aravallis as well as the
Vindhyan scarplands."^^ This region is a combination of
low land and upland topography. Physiographically,
according to Geologists, this region can be divided into :
(i) the Aravalli range and hill tracts and (ii) the Eastern
Plains.
11. Singh, R.L., [Link]. p.520.
Soil:
The soils of Rajasthan plain are generally
characterized as sandy. "This windblown sand, which has
hindered soil formation, is derived partly from the surface
rocks and a large part of it is blown in from the coastal
regions."^^ The following types of soils are found in
Rajasthan plain -
i) Desert soil contains a high percentage of soluble salt
and has high pH value.
ii) Red desertic soil - pale-brown to dark-brown colour
and is good for cultivation.
iii) Yellowish brown sandy soils - yellowish brown, sandy
to sandy loam and sandy clay loam is suitable for
cultivation. And,
iv) Alluvial soil - red colour but is deficient in lime,
phosphoric acid and humus is good for cultivation.
Because of high degree of salinity and drainage
12. Misra, V.C, 'The Marusthali' in India Regional Studies
ed. by Singh R.L. New Delhi, 1968, p-247.
agriculture in these soils is not possible, only salt - resistant
grass is growing.
In Udaipur Region we find following types of soils -
i) Alluvial soil vary in texture from clayey to sandy loam
and have varying tints. Generally these soils are
considered for good agricultural productivity.
ii) Medium Black soil is not very deep and occur in the
forms of clays and loams of dark brown colour and it
gives better yield.
iii) Mixed red and black soil is also good for cultivation.
AND,
iv) Grey and Brown soil fertility is enhanced due to
presence of nitrogen.
Minerals:
The Rajasthan plain is endowed with a great variety
of minerals which is devoid of ferrous and other metalic
minerals and a few important minerals namely gypsum
lignite etc. are found here.^^
13. Singh, R.L., o/>.cz7. p.60.
8
From architecture point of view Rajasthan is very rich
in "ceramic minerals"'^ and building materials widely
distributed in the region: marble^^ in the Bagar tract
particularly at Makrana^^ in Nagaur district and also a
variety of minerals of lesser importance i.e. asbestos,
soapstone etc.
The Udaipur region possesses the most important
mineral belt along Aravalli accounting about 75% of its
total production of various minerals such as: lead^^, zinc^^
, silver {pargana Sojhat, Jaitran and Uncha)^^, Copper
(Singhana and Udaipur, Mewar, Chainpur and
14. Ibid,
15. Ain-i-Akbari, I, p.512.
16. Ibid and Peter Mundy, [Link]. II, p.241
17. Singh, R.L., o;?.cz7. p.529.
18. Ain-i-Akbari, 1.35.
19. Habib, Irfan, An Atlas of Mughal India, p.20.
Kishangarh)^^, iron (Malpur)^^ Mica (Kishangarh)'-^
building stone (red sand stone in Rupbas, Bayana &
Dholpur)^^, Turquoise (Toda Bhim)^"* and saltpeter
(Ajmer)^^ etc.
Climate:
The varied nature of the climate has also played an
important role in the development as Rajasthan's
architecture. The climate of the Rajasthan plain is
experienced by extremely high range of temperature- the
temperature rises above 40°C (the maximum occasionally
reaching 50°C) and sometimes dips down to below freezing
20. Ain-i-Akbari, pp. 454, 505, Peter Mundy, [Link]. II, pp.
241-2.
21. Habib, Irfan, [Link]. p.20
22. Peter Mundy, o/?.c//. II, p-241-2.
23. Babarnama (tr.) p.543.
24. Ain-i-Akbari, I, p.442.
25. Sen, Surendranath (ed.) Indian Travels ofThevenot and
Carei, New Delhi, 1949, p.74.
10
point - 2.8°C and frosts commonly found during winter.
The rainfall is generally scanty and uncertain - 50 cm to
75 cm.
The climate of the Udaipur region also vary place to
place - it rises above 40°C during summer and dips down
to 5°C in winter. The rainfall, June to September gives 80%
of annual rainfall (100-150 cm). Rainfall decreases from
east and west-east to west. Mt. Abu receives 164 cm rainfall
generally.
